


take this wildness away

by stormss



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Coda, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Idiots in Love, Light Angst, M/M, Missing Scene, Paramedic TK Strand, Supportive Carlos Reyes, Worried Carlos Reyes (9-1-1 Lone Star)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:34:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29669424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stormss/pseuds/stormss
Summary: They've been called to the scene as a formality, that much is obvious when he takes in the already large crowd of first responders lingering by the fence. He notices the way all of them seem to be holding their breath, eyes trained on two geared-up figures as they move slowly across the extended ladder. Carlos sidles up between Marjan and Paul, raising his hand to block the sun from his eyes as he tries to get a good look. His stomach promptly drops, as he asks: "Is that—?""Of course it is," Judd says, planting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't you know our boy well enough by now, Reyes?"*Or, 2x06 if Carlos was actually in the episode.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Comments: 45
Kudos: 323
Collections: 9-1-1 Lone Star ▶ Carlos Reyes / Tyler Kennedy "TK" Strand





	take this wildness away

**Author's Note:**

> so i enjoyed the bulk of the storylines we got in 2x06, but obviously carlos' absence was like...glaring so i had to write out my frustrations askjdfasdfjnsk. 
> 
> the title comes from _on the floor_ by perfume genius. come say hi on [tumblr!](https://reyesstrand.tumblr.com/)

Here's the thing: Carlos loves TK. 

He does. He gets this fluttery feeling in his stomach whenever he thinks of his boyfriend; it's that sort of once-in-a-lifetime love that has all the various mismatched pieces of his life finally sliding into place. Carlos might be a bit of a sap about it, but, whatever. He's _in love,_ for real, and it's as much of a whirlwind as it is a gentle wave crashing along the tide, and Carlos thinks that's what makes it so perfect. It's why they're still kind of lovesick, smitten with each other in a way that Carlos thought he'd never experience. 

But loving TK also means he's pretty sure he's going to go grey by thirty-five. 

Hearing about Austin's bomb squad being called in is enough to interest him, but when he finds out that the responding team is from Ladder 126, it only makes him drive a little faster. In his mind, active explosives and his danger magnet of a boyfriend just don't mesh, and he won't be able to relax until he gets there. 

When he does, though, he finds that they've been called to the scene as a formality, that much is obvious when he takes in the already large crowd of first responders lingering by the fence. He notices the way all of them seem to be holding their breath, eyes trained on two geared-up figures as they move slowly across the extended ladder. Carlos sidles up between Marjan and Paul, raising his hand to block the sun from his eyes as he tries to get a good look. His stomach promptly drops, as he asks: "Is that—?" 

"Of course it is," Judd says, planting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't you know our boy well enough by now, Reyes?" 

"He volunteered," Marjan adds, arms crossed over her chest as she keeps her eyes trained on the way the ladder shakes a little under TK and Owen's combined weight. He follows her gaze, noting the large area of burnt grass and soot—excess from the explosion he'd heard about on the radio, he supposes—and the kids that are stuck in the middle of the minefield. He realizes then that this was never going to go any other way—TK's never going to be the guy to leave someone stranded when he can help. "The new guy on Captain Vega's team didn't want to risk it, so TK offered to go." 

"Right," Carlos mutters, his heart racing. That does surprise him a little, that he'd been okayed to go because of his certification as a field medic. He knows about TK's training—he's seen him in the field a couple of times, always calm and collected while assessing patients as they waited for medical to arrive—but watching him run headfirst into danger like _this_ just makes him send a silent prayer up to whoever's listening that he's going to be safe. 

He likes to think that he's calm under pressure; he _has_ to be, for his job. And after months of perfecting it, both he and TK are able to remain professional when they're on calls. So he knows his poker face is good, watching the scene unfold now, but on the inside he's plagued by his thoughts—the _what ifs_ and worst case scenarios whirling around in his mind. Carlos doesn't let his gaze drift for even a millisecond, jaw clenched as Owen reaches the end of the ladder. 

"Oh, here we go," Paul says under his breath, all of them barely breathing as the captain drops the duffel bag down to the ground. 

All of them turn away and wince, waiting for the _bang._ It doesn't come, and Carlos watches as Owen drops down first, spraying a large circle around himself. 

The scene is quiet enough to be able to hear the younger brother continue his calls for help; it's quiet enough for Owen's voice to drift, as he yells up to TK: "Alright, your turn! Jump into the orange ring." 

_Jesus,_ Carlos thinks, as TK jumps. He's sure his panic shows on his face then, but he catches Marjan's flinch and Paul's tiny intake of breath, so he knows he isn't alone. When TK lands on solid ground, Carlos exhales shakily. 

It continues on like that for the longest few minutes of Carlos' life, watching as Owen keeps going, throwing the duffel and leaping onto it, TK following in his wake. 

"Man, I can't look at this," Paul says, after another safe landing from TK. 

"I can't stop looking," Marjan replies, and Carlos finds that he's siding with her on this one. He likes knowing how it's going, and even though he can't control anything about this scenario he finds that watching is the only thing he can hold onto. 

And then with the next toss of the duffel, an explosion rings out around them, black smoke billowing into the air. 

"Shit," Carlos whispers, staggering back a step or two; then, without thinking, he moves forward, only stopping when Judd's hand comes down on his shoulder again, and Paul sticks his arm out in front of him. They ground him, though, and when they all hear Owen's reply that they're still in one piece, all of them sag a little in relief. 

"I swear, those two are gonna send me to an early grave," Judd says, absentmindedly squeezing Carlos' shoulder. 

"Tell me about it," Carlos replies, feeling his heartbeat slowly return to normal. And he thought hearing about the 126 dealing with their crossbow assailant a couple months back without assistance was bad. Judd claps him on the shoulder before removing his hand, and Carlos returns his gaze to where TK and Owen have seemingly made contact with the boys. 

It's kind of amazing, when Carlos ignores the presence of mines that could go off at any second. He hears TK's voice come through the radio, reporting his findings to Captain Vega, and he sounds like he's in his element. Marjan's chewing on her thumb, and Mateo's fidgeting with his coat-sleeves, all of them refusing to let TK and Owen out of sight as they work. 

Carlos cups his hand over his eyes again, trying to get the best look he can at his boyfriend. He moves gracefully and with purpose, and he can imagine TK's calm words of reassurance to the boys; he can imagine him guiding his dad along with what he needs to do. Even when the boy starts crashing, TK jumps into CPR at Captain Vega's instructions without hesitation, and all of them let out a simultaneous sigh of relief when they hear his voice through the radio, yelling: "He's awake, he's awake!" 

TK's whisked away pretty quickly when he and Owen return safely; Captain Vega gets the boys in the ambulance and Carlos watches as she checks out Owen's vitals before gently pulling TK aside, speaking to him alone for a minute or two.

The moment he catches the small, pleased smile pulling at the corner of his boyfriend's mouth, Carlos feels all the nerves dissipate. But then TK looks across and meets his eyes, and Carlos feels his stomach clench, realizing all too quickly what they could've lost. 

"Hey, I didn't know you were here," TK says, a little breathless as he strolls over to him, pulling off his helmet and tucking it under his arm. Carlos plants his hands on his hips and draws his mouth into a straight line, watching TK bite his bottom lip. "Don't give me that look." 

"How can I not, Ty?" Carlos asks, roaming his eyes over his body, searching for injuries even though he knows the professionals already gave him a once-over. He's sure his eyes are all-too revealing, though, because TK frowns and moves in for a hug, making his words muffled into his boyfriend's shoulder when he asks: "You volunteered?" 

TK worms himself even closer, resting his head in the crook of Carlos' neck. "I had to. I—I couldn't let that kid die when I knew I could help." 

"You're gonna kill me, you know that?" Carlos mutters, and TK huffs a little laugh against his throat. 

"I'm okay, babe," TK says, his voice serious. He pulls back a little, reaching up to gently move his thumb over Carlos' jaw. "I swear. I'm...better than okay, actually." 

"Yeah?" Carlos asks, caught up in the sudden brightness in TK's eyes. 

TK goes to say more, trailing off mid-thought, and Carlos notices his gaze shifting to somewhere over his shoulder; he turns his head and spots TK's team, waiting around for their chance to talk to him. When Carlos turns back to his boyfriend and notices his smile, he gently taps on TK's hip. 

"Go on," Carlos says, jerking his head toward the group. "I should report back, anyway." 

TK nods, and Carlos gently cups his face between his palms. 

"We'll talk at home?" Carlos' voice drops down to a whisper, even though they're mostly alone. He sees that brightness again in his boyfriend's eyes, and can't help but to give him a tiny smile. 

"I'll see you later," TK says, ducking in for a chaste kiss to the cheek before he runs off toward the team. "Love you." 

"Love you too," Carlos is a little dazed watching him jog off, before turning and heading back to his cruiser, antsy now to finish his shift and get home to TK once more. 

* * *

As he walks into the condo that night, Carlos thinks about how tonight will likely become a takeout night, though his thoughts stall as he pauses in the doorway upon spotting TK. 

He's on the couch with his feet propped up on the ottoman, his laptop on his thighs. He's got the drawstring from his hoodie between his teeth and his hair is all mussed up like he's been running his fingers through it, and Carlos still feels on edge from the panic of watching TK in an active minefield, and yet he's so, _so_ in love, he can barely stand it. 

"Hey," TK says, eyes crinkled in the corners when he smiles at him, Carlos plopping down next to him on the couch. 

Instead of responding, Carlos just kisses him like he'd wanted to back on the call; TK makes a small noise in the back of his throat when he does, hand flying up to cup his face. He pushes in deep, the kiss biting and desperate, reminiscent of those first heated moments they shared so long ago. 

"Well I don't know what I did to deserve _that_ ," TK teases, knocking their foreheads together. 

"You know what you did," Carlos says, and TK grins. "You're lucky you're cute, Strand, otherwise you'd be in the doghouse again." 

TK pouts at him. "Like you'd ever be able to stay mad at me." 

"I wasn't mad, just....scared," Carlos explains, intertwining their fingers. "But you're okay, and that's all that matters." 

Carlos brings TK's hand up, and kisses his knuckles. 

He nudges his shoulder against TK's, then, and adds: "I actually think you said you were _better_ than okay, back on that call." 

"About that," TK says, gesturing to the laptop. "Is this crazy?" 

Carlos cocks a brow at him, before taking a closer look at the screen. "This is your resume?" 

TK hums, chewing again on his drawstring. Carlos sits back against the couch, resting his hand against the side of TK's face, gently tapping his temple. 

"Wanna tell me what's going on up there?" Carlos asks, and TK sighs. 

"When I saved that kid? It felt really good," TK says, finally meeting Carlos' eyes. "And I just thought, you know, Captain Vega's still looking for someone on her team." 

"So you thought you'd update your resume?" Carlos presses gently, and TK bites on his bottom lip. 

"Yeah," TK whispers. "I want to apply for the position."

Carlos smiles softly at him. "You want to be a paramedic?" 

"It's crazy, isn't it," TK says, moving to close the laptop.

Carlos quickly stops him, resting his hand on TK's. "Hey, if it's something you really want, I say go for it." 

The way TK's eyes light up, well, it makes his damn heart soar. 

"You think so?" TK asks, and Carlos makes a disbelieving noise. 

"I mean, for one, look at your record," Carlos says, gesturing to the various bullet points on the screen—sure that most of them come along with a story he's yet to hear. TK's smile slowly grows, ducking his head. "And, well, it's not my place, but if Captain Vega saw half of what I saw today, she'd be crazy not to want you." 

"I have to admit, I never thought this was what I'd want," TK admits, playing with Carlos' fingers now. "But—but it feels right." 

"So submit the application," Carlos says, pressing a kiss to TK's temple. "It doesn't hurt to see what happens." 

"You don't think I'm making a rash decision here?" TK asks, and Carlos hears a hint of hesitation in his tone. 

He's been like that since he told Carlos of the news his parents shared with him; since he confided in him that he felt like his relationship with his dad had splintered and he didn't know what to do about it. 

"No, not at all," Carlos insists, trying to bring him back down to earth. "It's what you want. It makes you happy, Ty, and you deserve that." 

TK smirks a little, and moves the laptop to the coffee table, slowly worming his way onto Carlos' lap. Carlos grins up at him, arms curling around his waist like they're made to be there. 

"So you aren't going to miss the turnout gear?" TK asks, tongue between his teeth, tone nothing but playful. 

Carlos huffs a little laugh, hands tightening on his boyfriend's hips. "I mean, I might miss it a little. But you get a stethoscope now, huh?" 

"And disposable gloves," TK adds, cocking his head to the side, playfully moving closer, as if that's even possible. "And...ooh, a new badge." 

"You're something else, TK Strand," Carlos murmurs, shaking his head in awe before he meets TK halfway for a kiss that they're both grinning into, one neither of them plan on pulling away from anytime soon.

* * *

The next weekend, they have the crew over for snacks and drinks, and it's Judd who picks up his beer first and declares: "There's something we gotta celebrate today, guys." 

TK, under his arm for most of the evening, smiles down at the sparkling water between his hands before he reluctantly lifts his glass as all eyes fall on him. Carlos grins and kisses his hair, before he lifts his drink up, too. Slowly but surely, Marjan, Paul and Mateo follow suit, Grace reaching over to squeeze TK's knee before she does the same. Nancy, who's only just started coming around to actually accepting his open invitation, raises her glass with a small smile on her face. 

"Here's to Paramedic Strand," Judd says, locking eyes with TK. "Kid, I don't think Austin's ready for you and all you're gonna bring. Or your driving." 

"Hey!" TK exclaims, though he's laughing along with the rest of them. 

"I put up with it for three weeks, TK, now I leave it to Tommy," Judd winks at him, as all of them clink their various bottles and glasses. 

"Don't worry, I'll get you in shape in no time," Nancy says, and TK smiles at his new partner. "As long as you don't mind tough love." 

"Oh, I thrive off it," TK replies, making a point of clinking her glass specifically. He then turns his gaze to the rest of the room, slowly standing. "Um, I just wanted to say thank you. For your support, and for your acceptance of this change. For being calm while I hit every orange cone in my way." 

Judd rolls his eyes, but everyone can see the fondness in his gaze, not fooling a damn soul. 

"You're my family. And I wouldn't be here without you all, so, um, thanks," TK says with an awkward tip of his glass to everyone. 

The silence lasts about five seconds. Marjan's the first to jump in and hug TK, before it slowly turns into a dog pile, complete with head kisses from Judd. Carlos watches, surely with love just radiating off of him, when TK gets out of the middle of the pile with a laugh and then moves into Carlos' arms, the force of this hug sending him staggering back a few steps. 

"Hey, no special treatment!" Paul yells, while TK lovingly flips him off before he kisses Carlos for a brief second. 

"I'm so proud of you," Carlos murmurs into his ear, and TK smiles at him like he hung the moon in the sky. 

"You're the reason I took the leap and applied in the first place," TK says, curling his arm around his neck. "I can't thank you enough." 

Carlos smiles fondly at him and kisses TK once more, before pulling him back down to sit on the couch. The others have started up a debate over some Netflix remake, and Mateo's replenishing the bowl of cheeseballs, and Carlos feels _right_ being here in this moment, the people he's found a new family in surrounding them. 

He squeezes TK's hand, and his boyfriend squeezes back. And it's all he needs. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! comments/kudos always make my day <3


End file.
